South Australia, from Flags of All Nations, Series 2 (N10) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands 1890

This vibrant chromolithograph, "South Australia," comes from Allen & Ginter's series of cigarette cards. The design is dominated by the South Australian flag, its deep blues and vibrant reds set against an ornate gold and red backdrop. The composition employs a complex layering of symbols: the British flag in the canton, the state badge depicting Britannia offering a shield to an Aboriginal man, all framed within an oval cartouche. Note how the artist uses this emblem as a semiotic device, embedding codes of colonialism, trade, and national identity. The flag’s folds and the intricate patterns behind it add depth, yet this detail is contrasted with the flat, graphic quality typical of commercial printing. The card functions as both an advertisement and a cultural artifact, reflecting and reinforcing the values of its time. The use of signs and symbols is very thought-provoking; it encapsulates the complex relationships between colonizer and colonized, power and representation. It invites us to reflect on the meanings we attach to national symbols and how these meanings can be both fluid and contested.